Nearly 30 years ago, the 1982 U.S. Open quarterfinals included four men born in a 12-month span more than 30 years before. Never since then have four 30-somethings reached the final eight of the men’s draw at a major.

But four current players who each are 30 years old and were born just in time to watch those quarterfinal matches could match that feat at this year’s Wimbledon. Roger Federer and Mikhail Youzhny will face each other in the quarterfinals, scheduled for Wednesday, if rain permits. On Tuesday — again with the weather caveat — Mardy Fish and David Ferrer will try to win the one match they need to join Federer and Youzhny in the final eight.

Thirty years after that U.S. Open, won by Jimmy Connors a week and a half after his 30th birthday, a sport that once had several contending 30-somethings does once again. Many commentators discuss the aging of tennis draws as if it were an aberration, but really the sport is coming full circle. Now 17-year-old major champions Boris Becker and Michael Chang look more like flukes.

At six majors between the 1968 French Open and the 1982 U.S. Open, half of the eight quarterfinal slots were taken up men 30 years or older, according to the International Tennis Federation. By 1982, teenagers had started becoming a bigger part of the game. Tennis blogger Jeff Sackmann — whose data is used in The Wall Street Journal’s Wimbledon Tracker — points out that at the start of the Open era, which began in 1968, men 30 or older usually were at least three times more numerous than teenagers in the Wimbledon men’s draw. By the early 1980s, there were almost as many teenagers as oldsters. And from 1987 to 1990, teenagers outnumbered 30-somethings each year at Wimbledon. But this year, there were a record 34 men 30 or older, and just two teenagers, tying the record low.

This continues a trend of new records for thirty-somethings in the draw earlier set at Roland Garros. The women’s draw — and women’s champions — also have been getting older, and 16 women 30 or older entered the singles draw at Wimbledon, according to the WTA Tour. Serena Williams is the sole quarterfinalist past her 30th birthday, though Francesca Schiavone very nearly joined her by putting a scare into Wimbledon defending champion Petra Kvitova — age 22 — in their fourth-round match on Monday.

Beyond the four potential male quarterfinalists among the oldsters, others had good Wimbledons. Federer beat 31-year-old Xavier Malisse on Monday to reach the quarterfinals. And earlier in the tournament, Radek Stepanek and Ivo Karlovic, who each are 33, each took a set off heavy favorites who each are 25 years old: Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, respectively.

Malisse, after his loss to Federer, said, “Everybody is fitter than before so they last longer.” He added, “Experience helps people a lot in matches.”

But the standout performers in the tournament among the old — by tennis standards — men all are over 30 but under 31. Federer says that this generation, his generation, simply is very good — perhaps better than its reputation, since some critics of Federer’s career accomplishments claim he benefited from weak competition.

“My junior year back in ’98 was unbelievable,” Federer said in his postmatch press conference Monday. Several opponents back then, he said, joined him as a pro. He added, “I’m happy I’m not the only guy left.”

Federer’s peers might not be as happy about his familiar face, which is appearing in a record 33th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. While his generation is doing well against the youngsters, they still haven’t solved him. Malisse fell to 1-10 against Federer in his career on Monday. Youzhny is 0-13 against Federer. (“Of course I remember almost all our matches, and it’s not on my side, actually,” Youzhny said.) Ferrer and Fish, who could face Federer in an all-30-year-old final, are a combined 1-20 against him.

One reason is that Federer is the most skilled member of his generation. Another may be that while many of his peers have aged well, Federer has aged better. He looked far fresher at the end of his match against 30-year-old Julien Benneteau on Friday, as Federer did at the end of his comeback quarterfinal win over 23-year-old Juan Martin Del Potro last month at the French Open. Against Malisse, Federer needed treatment for back pains but dominated two of the last three sets and said he expected to be fine for his quarterfinal.

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